Concern is growing over the federal government’s seeming inability to leverage Canada’s vast natural resource endowment as it navigates the uncertain global geopolitical and economic landscape, an industry event in Vancouver heard this week.
Besides examining resource sector investment opportunities closely, Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) organizer and Cambridge House International president, Jay Martin, delved into the political sphere.
He questioned whether Alberta and Saskatchewan’s recent passing of two bills, respectively, aimed at allowing the provincial governments to veto specific federal mandates, was the most pivotal moment in Canada’s recent political history.
“The reason for asking this question is that we’ve seen important legislation put forward from two provinces, the Alberta Sovereignty Act and the Saskatchewan First Act. Both pieces of legislation were built to allow the provinces to emancipate themselves from the decisions of our federal leaders,” Martin explained.
He wondered about the disconnect when it comes to Canada’s inability or unwillingness to leverage its resource economy to its benefit and that of its allies.
Former British Columbia Liberal premier Christy Clark conveyed her disappointment when the chancellor of Germany and the prime minister of Japan, both important trading partners of Canada, recently came pleading for access to Canadian natural gas “because they don’t want to buy from the bad guys in the world anymore,” and Canada sent them home empty handed.
